"The Next Biggest Boom Towns In The U.S."

Just a quick link - http://www.forbes.com/pictures/edgl45fkm/no-1-austin-texas/

Austin, TX; photo courtesy of Forbes Images

This is a slideshow from Forbes.com that discusses the upcoming boomtowns in the U.S.  As usual, Texas cities beat every one else by a mile.  There are a few others that may or may not be a surprise, depending on whether you are a nerd and follow this kind of stuff like me!

Oh, and now that the New Hampshire Primaries are through, be on the lookout for a post about South Carolina.  Their Primary is Saturday, January 21st, and they have a debate this upcoming Monday, January 16th.

See ya soon!

New Hampshire - The Nation's First Primary

Photo courtesy of World Atlas

Official Name - State of New Hampshire 
 Local Name - New Hampshire (Not really as relevant here as with countries on the other side of the world, is it?)
 Capital - Concord
 Time Difference - UTC -5 (Eastern Time Zone)
Chief of State - John Lynch (D)
Population - 1,318,194 (2011 estimate)
Area - 9,304 square miles
Counties - 10

Caucus - Meetings at which presidential candidates are selected.  Everyone gets together at their local caucus site and listens to short speeches by the candidates or their surrogates, and then get a chance to ask questions.  They then vote by paper ballot or a show of hands on who they want to be the candidate for their state.  The candidates each get a certain number of delegates from each area (depending on amount of votes), and whoever receives the most delegates receives the nomination at the National Convention.

Primary - Voting.  Just like every other time you have voted, but this time you are voting on who you want to be the presidential candidate so you can vote again in the general election.  Some states require you to be a member of a particular political party in order to vote in that party's primary.  The last day before the 2012 primary to change party affiliation in New Hampshire was October 14th, 2011, but you do not need to be a member of a certain party in NH to vote in that party's primary.

The nation's first presidential primary during the election cycle takes place in New Hampshire.  Iowa take place at least 7 days before New Hampshire, but this is a caucus, not a primary.  The primary this year will take place on January 10th, 2012.  New Hampshire even has a law stating that it must be the first primary in the nation.

New Hampshire is a very small state so has few delegates representing them at the National Convention, but this is not why it is so famous.  Being the first primary in the nation give the media something to talk about and gives people a chance to see the candidates in action.  The New Hampshire primary is the beginning of the election process so plays an important role in determining who will succeed in the future.  It is said that New Hampshire will make or break a campaign, and many campaigns have been resurrected after a good showing here.  As the people of New Hampshire like to say - "Iowa picks corn; New Hampshire picks presidents."